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What Broadcasting Does for a Newspaper
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vice to the public, the newspaper builds up its clientele.
"Some of these reasons for the newspaper entering the broadcasting field may not seem especially 'practical.' But newspapers do not gain their strength from being too 'practical' or cold-bloodedly commercial in their relations with the public. The newspaper must be willing to serve."
There are a number of representative newspapers with excellent broadcasting stations now in operation. Among these are the Detroit News, the St. Louis
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Dallas News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Detroit Free Press, the Kansas City Star, and the Chicago Daily News. At one time, there were other papers maintaining broadcasting stations. The Minneapolis Tribune and the Atlanta Constitution are two of the best-known papers which have withdrawn from the broadcasting field. Many other newspapers have, at one time or another, made arrangements with broadcasting stations already existing in their towns to broadcast special programs on certain nights. The newspaper would thus buy special service from those qualified to give it, without itself incurring the expense of its own station.
Not all newspaper-owners feel the same way about broadcasting as the Chicago Daily News does. Clark Howell, Editor of the Atlanta Constitution says:
" The Constitution quit broadcasting because, after we installed a station at great expense and operated it for a year, we reached the conclusion that the novelty had worn off, and we abandoned the service for much the same reasons which induced the Chicago Tribune to withdraw from the field.
"We do believe, however, that there is a great future in radio for commercial purposes, and when the Georgia Institute of Technology asked our aid in securing a radio plant to enable it to teach radiography in its commerce department, we were glad to make a contribution of our radio plant for that purpose.
That station is now in practical use at Georgia 'Tech.'
"As a novelty, we were glad enough to operate the plant for a year, but we saw no reason why a newspaper should maintain this service as a permanent feature.
"Our conclusion was that the large sum it cost to maintain a broadcasting service could be put to a very much better use by enlarging our news and special feature departments. This," concludes Mr. Howell, "we have done, with gratifying success."
A broadcasting station costs f rom S50,ooo to $100,000 to install. The maintainence expense per year is high, for these broadcasting stations, unfortunately, cannot run themselves. The Detroit News, for example, maintains, in addition to the regular operating staff of its station WWJ, a group of trained radio men which it places at the disposal of the public, to give those who wish it, reliable information about radio receiving sets and equipment. That costs money.
T. J . Dillon, Managing Editor of the Minneapolis Tribune, considers the question, "Should newspapers broadcast?" in another way. Mr. Dillon tells of the experience the newspaper owners in his city had with radio, and relates how amusingly radio worked to bring the formerly hard and unyielding competitors of Minneapolis and St. Paul around the conference table.
"The Minneapolis Tribune entered the broadcasting field in the realization that it was only a temporary advertising activity, the value of which would disappear as soon as broadcasting became more general. Other newspapers in our local field installed broadcasting apparatus, or made connections with stations to which they gave their names. Department stores, electrical companies, and other commercial enterprises were quick to see the advertising possibilities of this novelty, and in a short time it was necessary to organize the directors of these various stations and select a neutral executive officer to portion out the time for each station.
Radio offers the newspaper a new opportunity to serve. The modern newspaper not only presents the news of the day, but 11 strives to instruct and entertain. If, when we close our program each night, we leave our listeners a little better than when they started listening-in, we have done much. We. . . . cast our bread upon the waters, but the return of that bread, in the form of good will and increased circulation, is almost a certainty.
— William S. Hedges, Radio Editor,
Chicago Daily News.